Biden Appoints Dr. Rachel Levine as Assistant Secretary of Health—a Historic First for Transgender People

President-Elect Joe Biden has nominated Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine to serve as assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. If approved, Levine would be the first ever Senate-confirmed trans official in U.S. history.

Levine’s appointment sends a strong message that the administration intends to reverse course on what advocates say has been four years of war against LGBTQ+ people under the Trump administration.